This is home for me. Hartz Avenue is the kind of downtown people picture when they say they want a small town: walkable, local shops, good restaurants, kids on bikes. Around it are some of the most established family neighborhoods in the East Bay, two country clubs, and Mount Diablo filling the view to the east.
By the numbers
Three months ending September 2026, Redfin, all home types. Westside Danville runs well above the town median, around $2.5M. Figures shift month to month and vary by neighborhood. Ask me for the current read on yours. San Ramon Valley Unified, which serves Danville, is rated A+ overall by Niche (2026).
The community
Downtown Danville is the center of the San Ramon Valley. The Saturday farmers market runs year-round, the Village Theatre hosts plays and concerts, and Hartz Avenue has enough good restaurants that you don't need to leave town for dinner. The Iron Horse Trail runs straight through downtown, so many people ride bikes to it. Summer brings the Hot Summer Nights car show and the Fourth of July parade, and the whole town shows up for both.
The neighborhoods each have a personality. Greenbrook is the classic 1970s family neighborhood: mature trees, a community pool and swim team, block parties, and an elementary school in the middle of it. Westside Danville, across I-680, has the largest lots, the oldest oaks, and mostly custom homes; it's the quietest and most expensive part of town. Sycamore is the 80s and 90s HOA neighborhood with pools and parks, popular with families for its proximity to the schools. Blackhawk is gated, with two golf courses and larger 1990s estates. Diablo, unincorporated and built around the 1914 Diablo Country Club, is the oldest and most private. On the east side, the Tassajara Valley neighborhoods are the newest, built mostly since 2000.
Golf matters here. Diablo Country Club, Blackhawk Country Club, and Crow Canyon just over the line in San Ramon are all within a few minutes, and many of the families my kids go to school with belong to one of them.
Danville is in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, which Niche ranks second in Contra Costa County with an A+. Two high schools serve the town: Monte Vista (A+, among the top 20 public high schools in the Bay Area) on the west side and San Ramon Valley High (A) downtown. Elementary and middle school assignments depend on the neighborhood: Greenbrook, Montair, John Baldwin, Sycamore Valley, Vista Grande, Green Valley, and Tassajara Hills elementaries feed Charlotte Wood, Los Cerros, or Diablo Vista middle schools. I'll confirm the exact path for any address.
No BART in Danville. Walnut Creek station is about 20 minutes north and Dublin/Pleasanton is about 15 minutes south, so most commuters either drive to BART or drive the whole way on I-680. San Francisco is 45 minutes to an hour by car. Oakland Airport is about 35 minutes, San Jose about 45. Bishop Ranch in San Ramon is 10 minutes.
Common questions
It depends on what you're after. Walk to downtown: the streets near Hartz Avenue and the older neighborhoods around San Ramon Valley High. Classic family neighborhood with a pool and a swim team: Greenbrook or Sycamore. Land and privacy: Westside or Diablo. Gated with golf: Blackhawk. Newer construction: Tassajara Valley. I'll drive you through all of them in an afternoon and the differences will be obvious.
Townhomes and smaller condos start around $800K to $1.1M. Detached homes start around $1.3M to $1.5M for something smaller or in need of updating, with most of the market between $1.6M and $2.4M. Westside, Diablo, and the larger Blackhawk estates run from $2.5M to well past $5M.
Both have excellent schools and walkable downtowns. Lafayette has BART and is 15 minutes closer to San Francisco. Danville has more neighborhood variety, more newer housing, golf, and generally a bit more home for the money. Families choosing between them usually decide on the commute.
Downtown and the neighborhoods immediately around it are, and the Iron Horse Trail extends that reach by bike. Greenbrook and Sycamore are bikeable to schools and parks. Westside, Blackhawk, Diablo, and Tassajara Valley are car neighborhoods.
More neighborhoods
Whether you're buying in or selling here, let's talk.